The Chinese mainland fully resumed regular travel with the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) starting on Monday in what is expected to be a substantial boost for the two regions' economic development.

The Lo Wu Control Point, the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Control Point and the Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang Control Point opened on Monday, marking the full resumption of all seven boundary control points between Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province and the HKSAR.

Monday's first group of travelers included students, cyclists and people traveling for business and family reunions.

At the Liantang Control Point, red welcome banners and flower bouquets added to the joyful atmosphere greeting commuters. Around 6:30 a.m., students, who were about to leave for Hong Kong for the new semester, and their parents were already queued up for departure.

Pan Qiaojuan, who lives in Shenzhen's Luohu District, arrived early with her son for the long-awaited trip. 

"I've been looking forward to this moment," she said. "Today, my son will go back to his middle school in Hong Kong, and we will also visit his grandparents there. We haven't seen one another for a long time."

Group tours between the mainland and the two SARs also resumed on Monday.

Data from Alibaba's travel portal Feizhu showed that the popularity of travel to Hong Kong and Macao has soared since the resumption announcement last Friday. It said the search volume for tickets to Hong Kong and Macao more than tripled.

The HKSAR has launched a campaign to lure tourists, business travelers and investors, announcing a series of incentives.

Hong Kong has prepared 500,000 free air tickets for global tourists, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee announced at the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign launched on Thursday.

He said visitors to Hong Kong can take advantage of an array of special offers, vouchers and other incentives to make their experience in Hong Kong more fantastic and memorable.

Macao also looks to the opportunity to boost the economy affected by COVID-19. The Macao Government Tourism Office announced on Friday that it will offer 120,000 free flight tickets in 2023 to visitors from the Chinese mainland, China's Taiwan region and overseas.

Fully resuming personnel exchanges between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao and resuming mainland tour groups to Macao will play a significant role in promoting the recovery of Macao's tourism and economic vitality, said Lei Wai Nong, Macao SAR's government secretary for economy and finance, at a press conference.

(With input from Xinhua)